A suspect who stabbed two people near a school in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, was shot and killed by police on Tuesday morning.
Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said the incident began around 9 a.m. at the Salter School at 515 Woburn St. She said a 30-year-old male suspect allegedly stabbed a male and female - both between 20 and 30 years old - in a car in the school parking lot and also slashed two of the car's tires. Both victims worked at the school, and one of them knew the suspect.
Ryan said the suspect fled into the surrounding neighborhood near Lowell and Forest streets. Officers responding were directed into that neighborhood by a resident, where they confronted the suspect, who was armed with a knife and a Colt .177 caliber BB gun.
The officers said the suspect refused to follow orders, shots were fired, and the suspect did not survive his gunshot injuries. He was later identified as 30-year-old Doug Sparks from Medford.
"An ordinary day took a very tragic turn today," Ryan said.
Both the male and the female victims were taken to Lowell General Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. An update on their conditions was not immediately available.
Ryan said she is not sure how many shots were fired. She said two officers were involved, but she wasn't sure if both of them fired at the suspect.
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The officers - both detectives who had been on the force less than five years - were taken to the hospital as a precaution but were uninjured and have since been released.
Ryan said the incident is being investigated by state police assigned to her office. Tewksbury Police Chief Timothy Sheehan said the officers have been placed on administrative duty until the investigation has been completed.
According to its website, the Salter School is a technical and business school with four campuses in Massachusetts. The Tewksbury location offers career-focused training programs for professional medical assistants, health claims specialists and massage therapists.
Students at the school were asked to remain inside so that they could be interviewed by police, but were allowed to leave around 2 p.m.
"This was not a random act of violence," Sheehan said. "Residents of Tewksbury do not have to be concerned. The threat is done."
The incident remains under investigation by Tewksbury Police, Massachusetts State Police and the Middlesex District Attorney's Office.
